In June 2006, working in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance, the CMHA BC initiated a year-long pilot project to deliver outreach services to homeless individuals at eight core locations around the province.
The project goal was to reduce homelessness by assisting homeless individuals to access long-term solutions to address their state of homelessness including access to housing, a stable source of income, and other support services.
Project staff consisted of four full-time and four part-time outreach workers, and a project coordinator.
Primary activities included engaging homeless individuals and families and providing support with access to income assistance, finding and securing housing, and connecting to various health and social services.
The Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance was a key partner in this pilot project, developing protocols to ensure that all outreach clients were expediently connected to the income supports they are entitled to.
The 2008 Income/Homeless Outreach Project Highlights Report provides an overview of the project and key lessons and insights gained. The 2007 report, Pathways Into and Out of Homelessness in Small BC Communities, provides further insights through interviews with clients and landlords involved in the project.